A few weeks ago I spotted an eBay Speedy pop up which was probably very fairly priced, but I just didn't know enough to be confident to pounce on it. I spent a hard 10 minutes with MWO but by then it had sold. So in the interest of educating myself for the next opportunity, can people comment on anything I missed or got wrong, and perhaps hazard a guess at what would have been a fair price. There were no movement shots but the seller had over 50,000 feedback and looked trustworthy. My guess was a B3 dial, and 633 end links might suggest post 1970 if it's original, so maybe a145.022. From either 1970 or 1971. I struggle with hands and pushers so can I ask if they are correct ? Edit to quickly add. Just coming back and looking at the crown, is that a flat-foot 24 tooth one, and does that mean it was definitely a 321 ?
Just seen the price. Yes you should have jumped. 633 endlinks were a red herring. 321 or '68 Transitional at the very latest. Applied logo and longer lume plots (right out to the edge) on the dial, hippocampus case back and spear tailed chrono hand are all instant good signs you are looking for. The fact that it doesn't have the double bevel on the case back should indicate that it's not as early as 1965 (roughly).
Bollocks ! In my defense I'm in Europe and would have had to add 20% on import duty but probably still a bargain. I think without the extra I'd have clicked straight away as the DON looked to be pretty good condition.
There are a hell of a lot of people looking for these under-market price Buy It Now listings. You'd have to be very lucky to get your timing right on clicking that button.[Edit: This one was only listed for eleven minutes before it sold] Even then there would be people messaging the seller after the auction offering that little bit more. Sad but true (for years now). I haven't checked for feedback on this sale yet but you did well waiting two weeks before asking about it here ; immediate posts about missed BIN deals bring out even more of the sharks.
Well the listing was live for long enough that I could have bought it. I saw it straight away. But of course it could have still been poached after the sale. And I have very strong feelings about people who post links to live auctions, and people who don't wait at least 3-4 days before re-posting bargain BIN listings. Those feelings are not the happy/cuddly type ! I always try to wait a week or two, or at least until the buyer has left feedback. And looks like the buyer landed it...
Just checked the Speedmaster101.com price chart and a DON makes US$2,300 difference on a 69 Speedy. I've been out of the arena way too long. Your heart would have been pounding when you saw it. I know. I had a very unhappy experience with an Ed White purchase once that got put up on WUS and ended up cancelled by the seller. Your chance will come again. There's only so many times you can hit refresh on those saved eBay searches though. Take a break from the screen and relax with MWO a bit more. Luck is when opportunity meets preparedness, or so they say.
That’s a -66 CB with wrong bracelet. Nice bezel and dial. Decent case. If movement checks out it will be a lovely watch.
In your opening post you ask for some advice. I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I would say this: 1) Take a close look at the case itself. In the case of this watch is it the photograph or are they CB case facet lines on those lugs? I might be wrong. 2) Also, unless it further confirms your assessment of what you already know about the head, don't get too bogged down with the bracelet or parts of the watch that can be easily swapped. (In my family, we've had a 321 pre-moon Speedmaster on an incorrect early 1970's service bracelet, for over 45 years. It also had incorrect service hands and crown until last year.) 3) Also, don't forget we have access to reliable information on www.Speedmaster101.com at the touch of a screen. Obviously MWO is regarded as 'The Bible' for the Omega Speedmaster but the process of inclusion and elimination that @Spacefruit employs in the, Speedmaster101, 'Assessment Guide' is very easy to understand for a novice buyer. If a buyer is very inexperienced it is important to learn stuff in a logical order. It's presented that way here: http://speedmaster101.com/ You may need to invest a bit more than 10 minutes though???
Hey ho. Certainly I need to spend more time on the subtleties of these if I want to catch a future bargain. In the heat of the moment I somehow concluded it was probably a cal. 861, and had I thought it was any 321 variation I would have jumped straight on it. Anyway... Thanks for the education guys and I hope someone here got it !